If you’re an Alvin Kamara fantasy football owner, it hasn’t been a fun season. Gone are the days when Kamara was a surefire RB1 week-in and week out, but most owners expected enough volume to produce RB2 value. These days, he’s barely been a flex play. Now, with the Saints pivoting to a new quarterback, it’s time to ask: Do we have to bench Kamara in fantasy football?
Analysis
Last week’s game against the Rams was a low point for Kamara. The 30-year-old took six carries for 14 yards while only reeling in one of his three targets for three yards. Both the carries and catches tied for season lows. Throw in a lost fumble, and you have a whopping 0.7 PPR points. Brutal.
It’s no coincidence that this game is alongside rookie Tyler Shough’s first career start. Despite his advanced age for a rookie prospect, Shough had a tough time getting things going against a tough Los Angeles Rams defense. That’s no indictment of Shough, necessarily — better quarterbacks have had worse games. Plus, there is reason to believe he will improve.
But I’m not entirely convinced that Kamara will benefit from his development. With New Orleans’ season circling the drain, they have little to no incentive to give him significant usage. He’s past his prime and a likely candidate to be traded or cut outright in the offseason. They also seem intent on securing a good draft position by losing, so even if he was effective, they wouldn’t be playing him much.
The verdict
The days of Alvin Kamara in New Orleans are drawing to an end, and his days of fantasy dominance in the Bayou are over. The team has picked a new direction — one that involves a lot of losing — and he won’t contribute to that one way or another. It’s time to put Kamara out to pasture, whether or not Shough is under center.
